World of Warcraft: Life, Death, and Undeath
by Leon Angealis
Summary: Caitriona is a member of the Argent Dawn, a last defense against the Lich King's undead Scourge. When she falls in combat to a powerful Scourge, she is returns as one of the Lich King's Death Knights. Will she be forever a slave? Please R&R.
1. Prologue

**okay guys. **

**this is my first fanfic, so please don't rip it, or me, apart. hehe :) **

**Yes, it is a WoW fanfic. I'm a nerd, sue me. lol**

**It's actually about one of my friend's characters on the Silver Hand realm. She said something while we were playing. She said, "I wonder what it'd be like to be changed into a Death Knight against your will like that." **

**That's what inspired me to write this. **

**So now, I invite you to join me as we follow Caitriona, a Blood Elf Paladin in the Argent Dawn, as her life turns completely upside down and she becomes a slave to the very powers she fought to destroy...  
**

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**World of Warcraft:**

Life, Death, and Undeath

_Prologue_

The ghoul's bones parted beneath her blade's edge, as if they were paper. It toppled and fell to the ground in a heap.

Caitriona gazed around at the carnage. The Undead Scourge's latest assault was the fiercest yet. Legions of ghouls poured over the mountains and into the Eastern Plaguelands. The small Argent Dawn force of one thousand was vastly outnumbered, but holding.

All around her, The Argent Dawn fought valiantly against the Scourge. But as a Blood Knight of Silvermoon, Caitriona had the additional strength of the Light at her command.

Ghouls and geists surrounded her on all sides. She muttered a prayer to the Light as the undead forces moved closer. She sunk to one knee and slammed her hand into the ground beneath her. Holy light shone upwards, turning the undead to ash.

But the mob recovered quickly and surged forward. Caitriona placed her gauntleted hand upon the base of her blade. Sliding her hand up the length of the sword, she cried, "Seal of Righteousness!"

Pure white light enveloped her claymore. She swung the blade upward and two undead perished for a second time, bisected by the holy energy. Using her momentum, Caitriona carved a path of second death through their unholy ranks.

"Caitriona!" A deep voice called, "Fall back to the chapel!"

She turned to see Commander Argus, atop his warhorse, signaling a retreat. Grinding her teeth, she obeyed. Leaping atop the heads of the Scourge ghouls, she leapt from head to head, making her way back to the rest of the Argent Dawn forces.

Just as she reached her destination, another voice, female this time, cried, "Abomination!"

Caitriona grimaced beneath her helm as the thunderous footfalls shook the ground. Turning to face this latest threat, she took a defensive stance.

The abomination was a monstrous, well, abomination. Standing over twelve feet in height, its skin was stitched together from multiple corpses into a sick parody of life. Its belly was grossly distended and bloated. In one meaty hand, it held a giant cleaver. It turned its lopsided head towards Caitriona and its beady eyes narrowed as it bellowed. Using is massive girth, the abomination barreled its way through the ghouls.

"I'll hold it off! Muster our forces for a counter-attack!" Caitriona yelled to Argus, who simply nodded. Pulling on his horse's reins, he wheeled it around and it galloped away into the chapel.

When the abomination got close to her, it thudded to a halt. It lifted an arm, which was bent at a sickening, unnatural angle, to point at Caitriona, " Me kill you, puny Blood Elf."

She grinned beneath the platemail helmet. _The bigger you make them, the dumber they are, Arthas,_ she thought to herself. "Well, if you're so confident, come and kill me, Scourge scum!"

The abomination roared and charged, rusted cleaver rising.

Caitriona matched its charge. As the cleaver came down, she slid between the creature's widely spaced legs. She rose to her feet and spun her body, scoring a deep wound across the abomination's back. It howled in pain and thrashed its arms. One hit Caitriona full force in the chest, denting the breastplate and hurling her through a tree.

_He certainly knows how to create a problem, doesn't he?_ She tried to stand. Her torso blossomed in pain and she fell back to the ground. "Feels like some broken ribs…" Caitriona closed her eyes and felt flow of her own mana. Delving deeply into it, she asked the Light to give her strength.

Even as she wished, she felt her ribs resetting. She opened her eyes just in time to roll out of the way as a giant meaty fist slammed into the ground where she had been laying. She flipped to her feet and ran up the abomination's arms. In a blur of glowing steel, she neatly removed its head from its shoulders. She cartwheeled through the air, watching as the body crumpled to the ground.

No sooner did her feet touch the ground, she felt a primal cold perforate the air. Crippling pain shot through her entire body from her chest. Her sword fell from lifeless fingers. She looked down at the blade now protruding from the center of her breastplate. Glowing blue runes lined the center of the blade.

With the sick sound of metal scrapping against bone, it slid out of her back. She pitched forward as a figure clad in dark armor and a long flowing cape walked into her ever-darkening field of vision. The figure knelt and Caitriona could see eyes glowing the same color as the runes on the blade and the figure's pointed helm.

"This one may still have her uses," the Lich King mused.

That was the last thing Caitriona Starstriker saw and heard before her world ended and death took her.

But death is not always the end…

Not for those in favor of the Lich King…

For them it is only the beginning…


	2. Chapter I

**Well, here's the next part of Caitriona's tale. :) **

**That you Dusel for being the first one to review. **

**Knowing someone liked it got my confidence up. :3 **

**Enjoy!  
**

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**Chapter I**

Rebirth Into Undeath

It was cold and black.

Caitriona has floated through this abyssal darkness for what felt like an eternity, but it could have been but minutes. She had no sensation of the passage of time in this place.

Finally, a voice called to her, "The time has come to reawaken. Arise, aspirant, for when you do, your training can begin."

Feeling flood her mind. She knew not where she was, only that it was cool, damp and it stank of rotting flesh.

"Arise, death knight! Arise and complete your dark rebirth!" The voice called again.

Caitriona's eyes shot open and she gasped for breath. She sat bolt upright and looked around at her surroundings.

She sat on a slab of cold, dark stone in a dank, damp room. It felt almost like a dungeon. Skeletons and decomposing corpses littered the floor. "W-where am I?" she asked.

A Blood Elf man stepped before her. He had long white hair pulled into a high ponytail on the back of his head. His eyes glowed a pale blue, not the normal greenish yellow glow typical of their kind.

"Welcome to Acherus," he answered.

"Acherus?"

"The Ebon Hold, young death knight. The Lich King's new necropolis."

Caitriona locked eyes with the blood elf, "Did… Did you just call me a death knight?"

"Oh, I do hope you do not handle this as some others have." He paused, "You are now one of the Lich King's chosen death knights."

Caitriona looked down at her body. A newly healed scar gazed back at her, from where Frostmourne had killed her only hours before. Placing a hand over her heart, the cold realization hit home. "T-there's no pulse…" her voice was barely a whisper.

"That is because you are no longer amongst the living, Caitriona," the Blood Elf had faced away from her with her arms laid upon each other behind his back. He stared out of an opening in the cold stone.

Caitriona felt a presence in the back of her mind and it whispered to her, "Caitriona…"

She looked around, trying to figure out where the voice was coming from.

"The Lich King calls for you. Do not keep him waiting," the Blood Elf answered her unasked question. "Your new armor is over there." He gestured dismissively to a suit of black armor.

Caitriona stood warily from the slab and was surprised by the strength she felt coursing through her. In under a minute, the entire set of armor was on her small frame. Again, she was surprised by how little it weighed.

"Go," the Blood Elf pushed. He pointed at a doorway across the room.

She made for the exit, but stopped just inside it, "What is your name, sin'dorei?"

"It is Mandulis, and our lord grows impatient. That is not a wise move on your part."

With that, Caitriona vanished down the hall in a blur.

Mandulis gazed out the opening as Caitriona ran across the hall's floor to where the Lich King watched the Scarlet Enclave, sitting below Acherus, "That one will achieve great things in her undeath."

--

Caitriona knelt before the Lich King, "You sent for me, my lord?"

"Indeed, I did, death knight," he replied. The Lich King lifted Frostmourne and rested it lightly on her left spaulder. It was an odd sensation, feeling the blade that had just killed you that same day on your shoulder. "All that I am: anger, cruelty, vengeance - I bestow upon you, my chosen knight." He lifted Frostmourne and moved it to her opposite shoulder, "I have granted you immortality so that you may herald in a new, dark age for the Scourge." Frostmourne withdrew, "Rise, death knight."

The Lich King turned as she stood. He sheathed the runeblade and leaned against the railing on the balcony upon which they stood, "Gaze now upon the lands below us. The Scarlet Crusade scurries to undo my work, while Light's Hope stands defiantly against us – a blemish upon my Plaguelands. They must all be shown the price of their defiance." Beneath his helm, the Lich King smiled, "You will become my force of retribution. Where you tread, doom will follow. Go now and claim your destiny, death knight."

"At once, my lord," Caitriona bowed. She backed away.

"Death knight, come here," called a deep voice.

Caitriona cast a look over her shoulder and saw a well-built man in light blue armor.

"Yes, you. Come here."

When she stood before the man, he inclined his head, "I am Instructor Razuvious. You have heard the call of the Lich King, death knight. Now is the time to answer your master. Your training begins now…"

--

Days passed and Caitriona was instructed in the use of her new abilities as a death knight. But with each minute, she forgot more and more of her own past. She fell further and further under the Lich King's unholy power. Finally, Razuvious felt Caitriona was ready to carry out their master's bidding.

"You have progressed quickly, Caitriona. Impressive. You have a grasp enough on your power that you can begin the task imparted to you by our master."

"I seek only to do his bidding," she replied, bowing.

"The time has come for your transformation to be complete." Razuvious took the sword from his back," The single most important piece of equipment to a death knight is the runeblade. It is through the runeblade that a death knight commands his minions and his own power."

He paused and looked at Caitriona, "The time has come to create your runeblade. Search the weapon racks and locate the sword that… fits you." He smiled, "Once you have selected your blade, bring it to me and I shall teach you how to transform it into a runeblade."

"Yes, instructor." She stood and walked to a nearby rack of swords. Swords of all styles and crafts hung before her. Immediately, one caught her eye. It was a typical longsword, though the blade was wide. But at the base of the blade, there was a symbol, a crest. Though it was forgotten from her mind, the crest was that of her people, of the Blood Elves. She took the sword's grip in hand; a perfect fit. Sword in hand, she returned to Razuvious.

"Ah. A fine blade," he mused, turning it over in his hands. "The runeblade is an extension of your being. A death knight cannot battle without a runeblade. Now, to forge this weapon into a runeblade, first you must…" He began to explain the process of runeforging. Several minutes later, he had finished and Caitriona had runeforged her sword. A series of glowing red runes ran up the length of the blade.

"Well done, Caitriona. You have successfully created your first runebladed weapon. With it you will sow the seeds of chaos and destruction! In your wake will be a bloodied field of battle, littered with the corpses of all that would dare oppose the Scourge." Razuvious smiled maliciously, "I can only imagine the bloodletting this sword will bring…" His eyes took on a far away look, as if he were remembering something. A moment passed and he shook his head, breaking the reverie.

"But your prowess must first be tested. The endless hunger will soon take hold of you, death knight. When it does, you will feel pain immeasurable. There is only one remedy for the suffering: the hunger must be sated." Razuvious pulled a key from his belt, "I give you the key to your salvation."

He handed Caitriona the key and gestured towards the center of the cavernous space, "Chained to the Heart of Acherus are those deemed unworthy of the dark brotherhood. Use this key to free an unworthy initiate. Allow them to equip their gear and battle you for their freedom. Kill and the pain will cease. Fail and suffer for eternity." He turned back to look at Caitriona, "Live or die – the choice is yours to make."

As she spun on her heel to do as ordered, he added, "Two lives, one key… Do not fail me, Caitriona."

"So you have wished it, so shall it be, instructor," she answered.

--

Striding into the Heart of Acherus, Caitriona observed the unworthy. Members of every race sat chained before her; Humans, Dwarves, Gnomes, Night Elves, Draenei, Orcs, Trolls, Tauren, Blood Elves and even undead. With a critical eye, she inspected them.

Finally, her gaze fell upon a well-built Night Elf. With a wry smile, she strode over to him.

He looked up as she approached, "So they finally come to take my life?"

Saying nothing, Caitriona knelt and unlocked his chains, "Suit up, kaldorei."

"What is the meaning of this?" he asked.

"You have been blessed with a chance at freedom, night elf. However, to attain that freedom, you must kill me."

The Night Elf got to his feet. He stood a couple inches taller then Caitriona, with long black hair, silver eyes, and purple skin.

Caitriona pointed to the armor lying next to him, along with the sword on the wall behind him, "Put on your equipment and fight me, kaldorei."

The Night Elf merely grabbed the sword and sunk into a battle stance, "This blade is all I shall need, foolish sin'dorei."

Caitriona fought a grin, "The arrogance… Your kind still believes it is superior to all, do they?"

"I know I can best a single High Elf," he retorted.

"We are no longer the High Elf pawns of the Alliance. We are now Blood Elves," Caitriona held her sword low.

"It does not matter. You shall die all the same!" The Night Elf charged.

He slashed the blade horizontally, aiming to sever Caitriona in two. She parried the blow with ease. The Night Elf was taken off guard by the power behind her deflection and he lost his balance. Caitriona drove her knee into his stomach and he sunk to his knees. She grabbed him by the neck and hurled him into the wall. The stones cracked under the force of the impact. He slid to the floor as the sword fell from his fingers.

Caitriona crossed the room in an instant, sword pointed at the Night Elf's face, "Pathetic." With the coldness of an executioner, she shoved the sword through his head.


	3. Chapter II

**Sorry about the long absence. **

**Life can be such a time consumer, ugh. :P **

**well here's the next installment. enjoy! :)  
**

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Chapter II

Spying on the Crusade

"As expected, my chosen disciple has triumphed! You are ready, Caitriona," Razuvious smiled. "Scourge Commander Thalanor has requested your presence," he pointed to a tall Blood Elf man with long blonde hair.

Caitriona bowed and walked over to Thalanor. The Blood Elf was leaning back against the wall, "You must be Caitriona, the Lich King's latest addition to our ranks. Welcome." He inclined his head in a slight bow, before he straightened. He gripped her by the shoulders and spun her around, "Behold, Acherus, the grand citadel of death! It has no equal in this world! Not even the mighty Naxxramas could withstand a direct assault from the Ebon Hold."

Thalanor pointed towards the front of Acherus, "Looming above the face of the necropolis is the all-seeing Eye of Acherus. From it the master is able to see great distances into the territories held by our enemies. What the Eye sees, the Lich King sees, and now the time has come for you to peer through the Eye. The Lich King has called for you, Caitriona."

A sudden anxiousness overcame her at the thought of being in her master's unholy presence again.

"Go now! Suffer well, sister…" Thalanor pressed.

She nodded and walked to stand beside the Lich King, who didn't appear to have moved since Caitriona had last seen him.

"The time to spill the blood of our enemies approaches," the Lich King said, sensing her presence at his side. "You must first learn what it is that you seek to destroy, before rushing headlong into battle." He turned to face her, "It is what separates a death knight from a mindless ghoul."

Gesturing to a large blue orb atop a pedestal, he smiled humorlessly, "I will grant you sight beyond sight, my champion. You will use the Eye of Acherus to gather information on the Crusade."

"I am to use the Eye, lord?" Caitriona asked, surprised she was being entrusted with such a task.

"As you wish," she bowed.

She took careful steps towards the pedestal. When it stood before her, her hands tentatively reached for it. Placing a hand on either side of the orb, she felt a surge of power as all of her senses lent their power to her sight, which was magnified a hundredfold.

High above Caitriona, the great unblinking Eye of Acherus shimmered and glowed for a moment before a smaller replica of the Eye appeared next to it. It was through this Eye that Caitriona, and indeed the Lich King himself could see.

Caitriona felt her consciousness enter the orb and she controlled it adeptly. Descending to the Scarlet Enclave, Caitriona could see the Crusaders scurrying about, their movements quick and measured as their defenses were properly laid.

In concert with Caitriona's mental commands, the miniature Eye moved across the sky above the Enclave, observing the major buildings and areas.

The New Avalon Forge was sending a constant column of black smoke coiling from the chimney. Inside, the blacksmith was no doubt forging new weapons and armor for the Scarlet Crusaders, or repairing equipment that had been damaged by previous Scourge attacks. Even as the Eye watched, a Crusader dressed in naught but a simple tunic strode into the forge. Several minutes passed and the man emerged once again, clad from head to toe in the signature red and gold armor of the Scarlet Crusade, his helmet tucked into the crook of his arm.

After slipping his helm over his head, the Crusader unsheathed his sword from its scabbard and mounted a silver armored white warhorse tied to a stake nearby. He snapped the reins and the horse reared back on its hind legs, before taking off full-gallop to the front lines.

Moving on to the next point of interest, Caitriona could see a massive building. Built multiple stories high of strong grey stone, the Scarlet Hold served as a barracks for the majority of the Crusaders in the Enclave. Within its walls, they ate, slept, and stored their possessions. Outside, however, was always abuzz with activity. It was outside the Hold itself, that young men were trained in the art of swordsmanship and defense. The instructors drilled them day and day out, honing their skills and molding them into soldiers fit to fight for the Scarlet Crusade. From Caitriona's vantage point, she could see their novices paired off on the training grounds. Using blunted weapons, the novices were instructed to duel as they had been taught. Watching their clumsy swings and undisciplined movements, she laughed to herself, _If this is the next generation of our enemies, this scouring will hardly even constitute a challenge. _As several of the untrained Crusaders were disarmed and bested by their fellows, the Eye's gaze shifted to its next target.

The New Avalon Town Hall sat in the center of New Avalon, surrounded by walls of stone. Inside, the mayor of New Avalon, Mayor Quimbly, set about handling the affairs of the city while the Crusade handled its defense. Seeing little of import, the Eye shifted a fourth time.

A cathedral of stone with red roofing and tall spire at its front reared up before Caitriona's vision. The Chapel of the Crimson Flame was pivotal to the morale of the Crusaders in New Avalon. It symbolized, to them, that their crusade against the Scourge was blessed by the Light and they believed that with the Light on their side, they could not be beaten. _The Light cannot save you from the wrath of the Lich King,_ Caitriona mused to herself.

Having observed all that the Lich King had ordered, she released the connection to the great Eye of Acherus and her awareness shrunk back on itself. Behind her, the Lich King gazed out over the Scarlet Lands, "Our assault on the Scarlet Crusade will become legend."

Realizing that Caitriona had returned fully to herself, he turned his head toward her, the sheer malice and power in his gaze almost forcing her to kneel. "They prepare for war-as expected." His head swung back to face the humans' city below, "But there is something else. I sense an old enemy. An enemy I destroyed long ago…" He paused as memories, long since set aside, flooded his mind; memories of a human prince who began his fall to darkness with the best of intentions, memories of a paladin who was so consumed by vengeance he sacrificed a close and dear friend for the power to enact it.

After reliving his long dead memories, the Lich King shook his head, "It matters not. We will send the full might of the Scourge against them before they have a chance to evacuate and complete their defenses."

He stood to his full height, bringing the power of his presence to bear. He placed a gauntleted hand on Caitriona's shoulder, "Listen well, death knight, for I give you the words that will start a war. My final judgment has been passed: Death. To. All. None shall stand so boldly against the might of the Scourge without reprisal."

Caitriona's eyes flashed, "I am ready to do your will, my lord."

The slightest of smiles crossed the Lich King's face, "I know you are, death knight. Your ferocity and willingness to let their blood flow in my name does you credit." He lifted his hand from her shoulder, "However, before you can bring death to the Scarlet Crusaders, you must realize your own potential as a death knight?"

Head tilting to the side, the death knight was confused, "My potential, lord?"

"Indeed, your potential. You have yet to learn what you are truly capable of. You have found, and made good use of, the strength that being a death knight has granted you." The Lich King raised one finger, and shifted it back and forth slowly, "But brute strength won't win this war, not on its own. Inside each death knight is the ability to use the powers of blood, frost, or unholy."

Caitriona's curiosity piqued, the Lich King continued, "Each of these grants you abilities that will strike terror upon your enemies, even as you slaughter them, and those who face you shall quake. Blood augments the already impressive strength you possess. You gain mastery of the very blood that flows through every living creature. Just as you can make your blood stronger, so to can you manipulate your victims' blood; boiling it in their veins, stopping its flow completely, and even pulling it from their bodies."

"But it is not my task to tell you of the powers you may possess. I will test you to see which of them you will control." The Lich King pulled a stone from his belt, "Place your hand on the stone and the runes will indicate where your power lies. "

Obeying, Caitriona's hand reached tentatively forward. No sooner did her fingers brush the cold stone, three runes appeared stark white against the black. Several seconds passed and the runes began to take on color. Finally, they all bore a different hue; crimson red, white blue and sickly green. "You are a very rare death knight," said the Lich King thoughtfully, "You possess the ability to master all three." Though Caitriona had expected, and hoped, that he would say more on the subject, he merely waved his hand, "As you have served me well in your first task, so too shall you serve me in your next. Go now to the first floor of Acherus and seek out Lord Thorval, master of Blood, Lady Alistra, master of Unholy, and Amal'thuzad, master of Frost. Once they have deemed you ready, take my judgment to Highlord Mograine at the command post of Acherus. Tell him to begin the assault." His gaze turned to the horizon, "And when the Crusade has been dealt with, we will finish off the Argent Dawn."

Caitriona stiffened at the mention of the Argent Dawn, _Why am I filled with such sorrow at the thought of the Argent Dawn's destruction?_

"Go death knight. You are dismissed."

"Yes, my lord," Caitriona bowed, before spinning on her heel and heading to the first floor of the great necropolis.

The Lich King watched as the young death knight left, "That one is more powerful that I had thought she would be." As she disappeared into the portal to the first floor, he reached out with his mind.

He sent his mind north, over the ruins of Quel'Thalas and the rebuilt Silvermoon City, over the Isle of Quel'Danas and the newly rediscovered Sunwell. He crossed the northern sea into the frozen wastes of Northrend.

Into the wasteland of Dragonblight his mind soared. Floating high above the rock and snow, looming like death itself, was Naxxramas, and at the pinnacle of this necropolis the arch-lich, Kel'thuzad, did his master's work; eradication of all life.

Feeling the touch upon his mind, Kel'thuzad answered, _Yes, my lord?_

_The situation with the Scarlet Crusade has changed. _

Kel'thuzad paused, _What do you mean, lord?_

_An old enemy yet lives. _

_Who, sire? _

_Mal'Ganis…_

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**Well, there you have. :) **

**please review and I apologize to those of you action junkies, I remedy that in the near future, I assume you ;)  
**


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